November 21, 2007

Data to clog Internet by 2010

Written by Jan Harris

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Data to clog Internet by 2010
Analyst firm Nemertes Research Group predicts a substantial slowing of the Internet by 2010, as it become unable to cope with the scale of data being exchanged.

A year long study by the company into data flows and Internet infrastructure, concluded that severe bottlenecks could occur in just three to five years.

While core fibre and switching/routing resources are expected to cope with user demand, Internet access infrastructure is believed to be inadequate, specifically in North America.

Nemertes Research Group estimates that an infrastructure investment, of between $42bn and $55bn, will be required to provide sufficient capacity to cope with data growth.

This is between 60 and 70 per cent more than service providers currently plan to invest.

Problems with inadequate infrastructure are expected to result in increased access times and pressure on bandwidth, to such an extent that innovation will be curtailed.

E-commerce could also become unstable, with erratic access times causing consumers to lose confidence in Internet transactions.

However businesses with access to fast network connections would suffer less than consumers, leading to a widening of a digital divide.

Filed Under Business, Internet